Al Haram stars in Saudi Derby; Imagination, Reef Runner turn sprint double for U.S.

The Euro/Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby picked up an exciting new player in unbeaten Al Haram, who toppled an international cast in Saturday’s $1.5 million Saudi Derby (G3) on Saudi Cup Day.

Read more: Forever Young holds off Nysos to retain Saudi Cup crown

Also on the undercard, U.S. shippers swept the $2 million sprints at King Abdulaziz Racecourse. Imagination nabbed Just Beat the Odds in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2), booking his return ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), and Reef Runner foiled French favorite Lazzat in the 1351 Turf Sprint (G2).

Europe fared better going long on turf, with British shipper Royal Champion continuing his rich vein of form in the $3 million Neom Turf Cup (G1), and Irish invader Sons and Lovers upsetting the $2.5 million Red Sea Turf H. (G2) in his first try in the stayers’ division. 

Saudi Derby (G3)

Sheikh Abdullah Homoud Almalek Alsabah’s Al Haram brought a perfect 3-for-3 record over a metric mile on this track, and his performance in the local 2000 Guineas suggested that he could well mount a robust home defense. The Irish-bred did just that, propelling himself into the March 28 UAE Derby (G2) and potentially a late nomination to the U.S. Triple Crown.

A fast pace helped to set up Al Haram’s powerful late kick. Steve Asmussen’s stretch-out sprinter Obliteration dashed to the lead, tracked by Japanese favorite Satono Voyage. Those two appeared to have the race between them as they swung for home, and Satono Voyage played his hand. But he could not put away a stubborn Obliteration, who battled back.

Meanwhile, Al Haram was ramping into top gear from near the rear of the field. Under a perfectly-timed ride by Ricardo Ferreira, the Abdullah Alsidrani pupil blew past the tiring leaders to win going away by 1 1/4 lengths. Al Haram clocked 1:38.45 to pick up 30 points on the Euro/Mideast leaderboard.

Obliteration boxed on admirably for second (15 points). 

“I thought I had him,” jockey Joel Rosario said. “My horse fought back inside, but then that horse came from out of the clouds.”

“It was a really good effort,” assistant trainer Scott Blasi said. “Kind of took the worst of it and really finished on well. I’m super proud of him.”

Satono Voyage succumbed to third (nine points), followed by compatriots Wonder Dean (six points) and Keiai Agito (three points). Aside from Obliteration, the other U.S. shippers were disappointing – Acknowledgemeplz (seventh), Very Connected (eighth), and My World (11th of 14). 

Al Haram, who returned $15.60, will now try to step up in trip for the about 1 3/16-mile UAE Derby. It isn’t an obvious play on pedigree for the son of Iffraaj and the Tagula mare Liberamente, who is a full sister to multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Limato. But his running style implies that he’s capable of going farther. 

“He’s a champion, he’s an amazing horse,” said Sheikh Faisal Al Sabah, the owner’s son. “From the beginning here in Saudi Arabia he’s been fascinating us.

“Hopefully he is good enough to be in the Kentucky Derby. He’s a very good horse.”

Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G2)

Bob Baffert’s Imagination had the key form as the Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up, making him the odds-on favorite here, and even a suboptimal break wasn’t enough to stop him. Regrouping for a patient Flavien Prat, the son of Into Mischief came charging down the lane to get up by three-quarters of a length.

Front-running Just Beat the Odds indeed outperformed his 20-1 odds to complete an all-American exacta. The Greg Sacco trainee held off locally-based Muqtahem by the same margin in third. Muqtahem was placing in this race for the second straight year, after a runner-up effort in 2025. 

Breeders’ Cup Sprint alumni American Stage and Lovesick Blues rounded out the top five. American Stage, a stablemate of Forever Young’s from the Yoshito Yahagi yard, finished fourth both here and at Del Mar. Lovesick Blues went one better than his Breeders’ Cup effort by closing for fifth of 13. 

Imagination, who polished off about six furlongs in 1:12, paid $3.60. Campaigned by the ownership consortium including SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables et al, he improved his mark to 15-4-6-1 with more than $2.1 million in earnings. 

“Now we can afford to go home,” Baffert quipped. “We brought a good one there. 

“He missed the break. He’s not a good gate horse and we were worried about that. We thought he would like this track.”

Prat had faith that Imagination was going to get there.

“He broke a step slow and then I got squeezed,” Prat recapped, “but I felt very confident when we hit the turn. He was traveling very well and kicked on good. I think he’s going to keep improving. Bob always loved him. It took him a bit of time to figure it out, but with time he’s just getting better and better.”

“This horse, we have been very high on him,” Baffert echoed. “He ran second in the Breeders’ Cup, but he’s getting better and better. I had some anxious moments back there because he was getting dirt, but once he turned for home, I knew he had a good chance and would be able to run them down, but still, you never know.”

1351 Turf Sprint (G2)

World Pool bettors were not as enamored of Reef Runner ($21.10), but the David Fawkes sprinter proved too strong for odds-on Lazzat. 

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. cleverly followed Lazzat, who burned more energy early to gain forward position from post 12. Although the world-class French sprinter pounced at the top of the stretch, Reef Runner was relentless to hunt him down. Even so, Lazzat kept on determinedly to miss by a neck. 

Irish raider Comanche Brave was a close third, with Mark Casse’s Time to Dazzle in fourth. The Doug O’Neill-trained Zio Jo, who forced the early pace, faded to 12th of 13.

Reef Runner covered 1351 meters (about 6 3/4 furlongs) on a good-to-firm course in 1:18.24, upping his line to 23-8-5-5. Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Florida homebred by The Big Beast has now bankrolled more than $1.8 million. 

“I thought Irad did a great job,” Fawkes said. “He had him in a perfect position the whole time. He told me where he was going to be sitting, and that is where he was.

“He is a trier,” the horseman added, mentioning the Al Quoz Sprint (G1) on Dubai World Cup night as a likely spot (with the formality of an invitation). “I know we beat a really good horse from France.” 

Lazzat’s jockey, James Doyle, rightly noted that the draw was costly.

“Very disappointed to get beaten obviously. He’s a horse that we love, but when we got the 12 stall, for a horse who’s quite fast, there was a disadvantage,” Doyle summed up. “He has only been beaten a short distance.”

Neom Turf Cup (G1)

Still in the form of his life at the age of eight, Royal Champion justified favoritism ($5.80) by a resounding 4 3/4-length margin in the newly-upgraded Neom Turf Cup. 

The Karl Burke veteran had given his late owner/breeder, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum, one last major win in the Nov. 14 Bahrain International Trophy (G2) before his passing. On Saudi Cup Day, Royal Champion furnished a poignant victory while showcasing his enduring influence on the sport. 

There was a tactical plot twist in the form of Japan’s Yamanin Bouclier, who surprisingly insisted on leading from the usual on-pace types, Galen and Silawi. But the unexpected speed map made no difference to the favorite, who was well placed in striking position.

Expertly handled by Oisin Murphy, Royal Champion swept to the fore in the stretch and drew off in a dominating display. The Shamardal gelding finished about 1 5/16 grassy miles in 2:06.22.

Facteur Cheval was best of the rest by 1 1/2 lengths from the belated Survie, who rounded out the European trifecta. Yahagi’s defending champion, Shin Emperor, was along for fourth, and Yamanin Bouclier tired to fifth in the 11-horse field.

Royal Champion’s first Group 1 tally enhanced his resume to 24-9-2-4 and boosted his earnings past $3.1 million. 

“He was amazing,” Murphy said. “I feel really sorry for Clifford Lee, Karl Burke’s stable jockey, who is recovering from an injury at the moment. Karl came here with a lot of confidence, and the horse was excellently prepared and push-button. This is a very big race, God rest His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, and I’m glad his horses are still carrying on his legacy.”

Burke mentioned that the Dubai Turf (G1) is on the radar on Dubai World Cup night, pending a discussion with connections.

“He’s been accepted for Dubai, but I’ll have to speak to the guys at Darley and see what we do,” the horseman said. “It’s an obvious race for him. I think the drop back a furlong wouldn’t do him any harm. We’ll see. A lot of it will be up to Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s family. Our thoughts are with his family. We’ll hopefully keep the show on the road for a little while yet.”

Red Sea Turf H. (G2)

H O S Syndicate’s Sons and Lovers ($27.20) continued the trend of upsets in this about 1 7/8-mile handicap. In the shadow of his Joseph O’Brien stablemate, 9-5 favorite Tennessee Stud, Sons and Lovers ended up using him as his pacemaker.

In fact, Sons and Lovers appeared to be the yard’s third-stringer. O’Brien’s go-to rider, reigning Irish champion Dylan Browne McMonagle, was named aboard Goodie Two Shoes. When the mare scratched, McMonagle switched to Sons and Lovers, and that might have been decisive for his fortunes.

Ryan Moore was aboard the Coolmore-connected Tennessee Stud, who broke from post 10. When McMonagle restrained Sons and Lovers early, Moore opted to take the initiative. Tennessee Stud dictated, but with Burdett Road playing the gadfly, and both ended up backpedaling. 

Sons and Lovers, poised in the ideal tracking spot, knifed between them and fended off the closers. A half-length up at the wire, the Study of Man gelding finished in 3:11.56.

Tabletalk snatched second by a neck from Tarriance, who nipped Real Dream for third. Epic Poet, last year’s runner-up, did well to rally from further back for fifth. Tennessee Stud beat only one home in 10th.

Sons and Lovers relished the longer distance to score a new career high, and the $1.5 million payday dwarfed his prior earnings. He was last seen placing third to Burke’s well-regarded Convergent in the 1 1/2-mile Kilternan (G3) during the Irish Champions Festival at Leopardstown Sept. 13.